Memories Best Forgotten
by Soultra
Summary: The Gummies stumble upon a city that was lost and a curse that refuses to be forgotten. Please R&R. Finished!!! Part 3 and 4 are up!!!
1. Part 1

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Memories Best Forgotten

Over the mountains to the east, the sun was slowly rising into view. It's golden beams slipped past the mountains and slid across the land below illuminating the early morning dew, which still hung from the wildflowers. On a branch of a Rose of Sharon, a tiny bird was singing from among the pink blossoms, as if rejoicing in the glory of the morning. A new day had officially begun.

But there was no celebration in the small Gummi kingdom of The Sunset Cavern. As the sun touched upon the once-beautiful city, layers of ruin and destruction was all that was to be found. The white walls, which had glistened in the sun only the day before, now lay in crumpled heaps that still smoldered from the black magic that had destroyed the structures. Not a building was left standing and the bodies of the Gummies who had once lived here littered the area, their blood staining the streets. The four pillars that had surrounded the city, which had ironically been symbols of strength and protection, were only blackened stumps from which wisps of smoke still danced. Above the ruins, several buzzards circled: no doubt drawn by the smell of death. Their tiny eyes sparkled at the prospect of a good meal.

Admist the rubble, an old Gummi sorcerer stood surveying the destruction around him. His wise eyes, which looked uncommonly large from behind his glasses, filled with tears that he couldn't cry. This Gummi, who had been referred to in the village only as Elder Gummi because of his advanced years, could barely even comprehend the horror that stretched out before him. It hadn't been that long ago that he had been saddened by the fact that his time on Earth was coming to an end, but now he wished that he had died long ago so that he could have avoided seeing this tragedy. He knew that such thoughts were considered the greatest of sins for most of Gummi beliefs revolved around the celebration of life, yet he couldn't help the way he felt.

He looked up at the buzzards and winced. Soon, he would burn the bodies along with what was left of the city. Perhaps it wasn't as respectful as a burial, but at least his comrades wouldn't become food for the buzzards or other carrion eaters.

He was procrastinating and he knew it. The job that lay before him was an unpleasant one, but it had to be done and it looked as if was the one who had to do it. He turned his attention from the buzzards to the small Gummi who lay sleeping nearby.

The boy appeared to be sleeping soundly, but the pinched appearance of his face was evident that his sleep was anything but restful. His future had appeared so bright before this tragedy – he was the young prince of this kingdom. Although the role demanded certain responsibilities, this young Gummi had known privileges and freedom unheard of by others his age. But that was all before.

Elder walked over to the boy and looked down at him. His legs were long for his age: he was probably going to be tall like his father, yet there was a sensitivity in his facial features that resembled his mother's. There was a tear in the corner of his left eye, and Elder had to resist the urge to wipe it away.

Why was this so hard, Elder thought, as he raised his trembling right arm and the sword he held glistened in the sun. He knew the boy must die, but why did it have to be by his hand?

He had been mediating in one the caves just outside the city when he heard the explosion. Already, the city had been destroyed, indicating the power of the lone human sorcerer who stood in the center of the city. How this man had found this obscure Gummi city was a mystery. The Sunset Cavern Kingdom didn't appear on most Gummi maps and not even many Gummies knew of its existence. Yet, this man had found the kingdom and had destroyed it apparently with one strike.

Elder had tried to remain hidden as he made his way closer to the human had brought such tragedy to the city. His breath caught in his throat when he noticed a young Gummi – the prince no less – was standing in front of the sorcerer.

"To you, young one," the sorcerer announced in a rich and cultured voice, "I give a great gift." He smiled slightly, the warmth of the expression juxtaposing against the destruction about them, as he stretched his hand towards the young, trembling Gummi.

Elder silently cried out in horror as he watched black tentacles of evil magic stretch from the man's hand and begin encircling the boy. The young prince screamed as the tentacles pierced through his fur and flesh and seemingly slipped inside his body.

Once all the tentacles were inside, the boy fell limply to the ground as the sorcerer watched.

"Use my gift, young Gummi" he whispered as he turned away, his blue velvet cape swishing around him, "Use it well." Without another word he walked away from the destroyed city without apparently noticing Elder.

Even after the sorcerer disappeared, Elder was afraid to move. He stayed hidden until the sun had arisen and he still had never felt so exposed, but he had a job to do.

"I'm sorry," he whispered to the sleeping boy, "but whatever gift he gave you can't be a good thing. I don't just do this for the good of the world, but for you as well. I have to do this."

The Gummi prince mumbled in his sleep and turned over slightly, his neck now fully exposed. "Forgive me," Elder whispered, bringing the sword down with all the strength he had.

With the arc of the sword, Elder started a story that would be all but forgotten by Gummi historians and to forget history is almost always a mistake.

**********

"So," Augustus 'Gusto' Gummi said as he made the final stroke with his brush, "What do you think?"

Artie Deco flew from the high shelf where he was sitting and landed on Gusto's shoulder. Turning his head, the toucan marveled at the massive painting before him. "Not too shabby," he remarked.

Gusto smiled confidently. "I know," he said, "It may have taken me forever, but it was worth it."

Truth was, Gusto considered the painting one his best ever and with good reason. In the center of canvas was a portrait of all the Gummies of Gummi Glen, along with Cavin and Calla. Around this central picture, were several smaller images, which portrayed each of the Gummies in their achievements, triumphs, and a few embarrassing moments. 

The only Gummi that didn't have their own space was Gusto himself. His reasoning had been difficult to explain to the others, although he had tried several times. He was a good artist, and he knew it, but he just didn't like to paint himself. Other artists could do as many self-portraits as they like, but for some reason Gusto just felt vain if he painted himself.

At first, he had planned to have nothing of himself (other than his signature) in the painting. Yet, this decision had confused the others who insisted that despite he didn't actually live in the Glen itself, he was as much a part of it as any of them were. Although this place did feel like home more than any other he could remember, he tried to remain firm in his position. Finally, he did add a small image of himself in the central portrait in the lower left-hand corner. An easel was positioned in front of him and the joke was that he was just painting the portrait.

"One question," Artie spoke up, interrupting Gusto's thoughts, "How are you going to get it in Gummi Glen?"

"Well, it is big," Gusto replied, "But I'm sure if Gruffi or Tummi will help me, we can move it."

"No," Artie countered, "I meant how are going to get it _inside_. None of the doors or openings to the Glen are big enough."

Gusto laughed. "I never even thought about that," he admitted, "But I'm sure there's some way we can get it in." He thought for a minute as he stared at the massive canvas. "I got it!" he suddenly yelled, "I can cut it into pieces and turn it into a giant jigsaw puzzle! Oh, Gusto you're a genius!" 

Artie shook his head, and opened his beak to reply, but Gusto continued before he had a chance. "No, that would never work," the Gummi artist said to himself, "What if one of the pieces got lost? The whole picture would be ruined! Besides, I really don't want to cut it up. There must be another way."

However, before another idea could come to Gusto, his stomach rumbled audibly. "I'll worry about it later," he said, "It looks like it's time to get a bite of breakfast."

"Especially now that's it's dinnertime," Artie agreed.

"Dinnertime?" Gusto repeated, somewhat perplexed. He stepped outside and noticed that the sun was definitely in the western hemisphere of the sky. "Wow!" he exclaimed, "I didn't realize how late it was. I guess time flies when you're busy creating a masterpiece!" He laughed in his good-natured way as he started towards the glen while Artie followed.

"I wonder what Grammi's making for dinner," Gusto mused aloud.

"Don't know," Artie responded, "But breakfast was pretty good."

"You went to the Glen for breakfast?" Gusto asked.

"I told you that you never notice if I'm around or not!" Artie exclaimed, suddenly, but it was obvious the toucan wasn't angry.

Gusto's smile grew. "I guess you did say that," he admitted, "but tell me: did you really leave for breakfast this morning?"

Artie nodded as they entered the glen. Grammi was just putting the first few bowls of food on the table and Tummi was the only Gummi who was already seated.

"Hi, Gusto," Tummi greeted.

"Hey!" Gusto responded as he sat down, "How are you doing, Tumster?"

"Fine," Tummi answered, "Just hungry."

"Well, dinner will be ready in a few minutes," Grammi said. She placed another bowl on the table and looked at Gusto pointedly. "So, you decided to show up. I was beginning to think we were going to have to send a search party."

Although her tone was joking, Gusto knew that she was somewhat upset. Grammi had gotten used to his infrequent comings and goings to and from the Glen, but she almost took it as a personal challenge if someone missed a meal. "Sorry about that," Gusto apologized, "I wasn't paying attention to the time."

Grammi shook her head before turning to renter the kitchen just as Sunni and Cubbi came into the room.

"And you should see Calla's new dress that she's going to wear to the festival," Sunni was gushing, "It a deep midnight blue with a light blue lace fringe on the collar and sleeves. It's so pretty!"

Cubbi wrinkled his nose slightly. "All you girls think about is clothes," He complained.

"That's not all I think of," Sunni responded, as she glanced at Gusto sitting at the table. She turned away quickly, hoping that no one had noticed, even though everyone had.

"Hey Gusto!" Cubbi cried, jumping into the seat next to him. "Did you get that painting done?"

"Sure did, Cubaroo," Gusto answered, "And you should see it. It's my greatest masterpiece ever!"

Cubbi giggled. "That's what you say about all your paintings," he said.

"Not all of 'em," Gusto replied, "Just most of 'em. Still, I think it may be the truth with this one."

"When can we see it?" Sunni asked, sitting down on the other side of Gusto.

"Well," he admitted, "I don't know how I'm going to move it down here. It's a bit too big, but you can go to my place if you want to look at it."

"Neato!" Cubbi said, just as Grammi brought the last of the food to the table. "Can I go see it tonight?"

"It's too late, Cubbi dear," Grammi spoke up. "Wait until morning. It will still be there."

"Grammi's right," Zummi said, as he walked in, "The woods at night is no place for a young cub. It's doo tangerous, er, too dangerous." He sat down at the table. "Where's Gruffi?"

"Who knows," Grammi said, "but it's not like him to be late for dinner."

"He said he was going to do some work in the quick car tunnels," Cubbi volunteered.

"I hope he's okay," Zummi said.

"I'm fine," Gruffi announced as he walked inside. He coughed loudly, which seemed to contradict his statement. From head to toe, he was covered in dirt, mud, and dust to the point his fur appeared to be black rather than brown. He coughed again, the dirt and dust he had inhaled obviously irritating his lungs.

"Oh my stars!" Zummi exclaimed, "Was there a cave-in?"

"Not exactly," Gruffi replied.

"Well, wash up your hands and arms at least," Grammi said, "And go ahead and eat. The food's going to be cold if you don't hurry and then it won't be as good."

"You mean it could taste worse?" Gruffi mumbled as he went to wash up. Grammi threw a wooden spoon at him, but her aim was off and it clattered harmlessly on the floor.

The meal went much quicker than usual. Everyone was interested in what Gruffi had to say, but he seemed more intent on eating than talking. When Gruffi finally finished, it seemed that Grammi wasn't prepared to wait any more.

"So what happened?" she demanded.

Gruffi took a long drink of water and set his glass slowly on the table. "I was working on the quick car tunnels," he began.

"I told them that," Cubbi interrupted.

"Sssh, dear," Grammi softly reprimanded.

"But I kept noticing something odd," Gruffi continued, "In one part of the quick tunnels, the echo sounded wrong. It's kind of hard to explain, but it just was wrong somehow. I ignored it at first, but I kept hearing it. Finally, I gave up and began to investigate. I found a wall that sounded as if there was a large open space on the other side. I was worried it might weaken the structure of the tunnels, so I decided to see if I could look behind the wall."

He paused as he used one hand to knock some of the dirt from his clothing: an action, which drew a stern look from Grammi because they were still at the table. "Let me guess," she said, "the dirt wall fell down easier than you expected.

"That's putting it mildly," Gruffi said, coughing a bit, "but that's not half of it. There wasn't just an open space back there – there was another quick car tunnel."

"No way!" Cubbi cried, "Where does it lead to?"

"I don't know," Gruffi answered, "but someone closed that tunnel off on purpose. That wall was build to hide its location. After I found it, I took a good look at the main tracks but I couldn't tell if the main tracks were ever connected to this tunnel. But, just inside the tunnel I did find this." He reached inside of his shirt and pulled out a small book. The cover may have been blue or green at one time, but time had faded it to a soft, almost colorless gray.

"What's that?" Sunni asked.

"I think it's a journal of some kind," Gruffi replied, "It was setting on an a pile of smooth stones just on the inside. I think it was meant for someone to find."

"What does it say?" Gusto asked.

"I don't know. It's written in some sort of language I can't read."

"Let me see it," Zummi said and Gruffi handed him the book. "It looks like an ancient Gummi language," Zummi commented, "I've seen some like it in the Great Book. I might be able to translate this."

"Do it if you can," Gruffi commanded, "I'm going to go back to the tunnel tomorrow and see where it leads."

"Is that a good idea?" Grammi asked, "Maybe you should wait until Zummi translates the journal."

"We shouldn't wait," Gruffi responded shaking his head, "That tunnel was closed off for a reason. What if it was to keep something out of the Glen? Now that the tunnel is open again we need to find out what is at the other end. I'm going and I want Tummi and Gusto to go with me."

"Me?" Gusto asked.

"Know any other Gustos?" Gruffi responded sarcastically.

"Can I come?" Cubbi asked.

"No," Grammi said, "It's too dangerous. You should stay here."

"You think everything's too dangerous," Cubbi pouted.

"Listen to Grammi," Gruffi said, "She's right." He smirked slightly. "For once."

Grammi smacked Gruffi on the back of the head before turning back to Cubbi. "Besides, we'll need someone to watch the Glen," she said. Cubbi mumbled something in response, but no one could understand what he said.

"We'll get started early," Gruffi announced, "And Gusto, show up on time for once."

"'kay," Gusto said gloomily. He didn't want to go trekking down some dark tunnel into the unknown – he wasn't really the adventure seeking type. Still, when Gruffi decided you were going to do something, Gusto had learned you might as well do it. 

Gusto sighed as he thought that he would have to tell Artie to wake him up. He had never really been a morning bear. Still, he was curious about what he would find waiting at the end of the tunnel.

*********

"This bag is heavy," Tummi complained as he put the bag on his back.

"A responsible bear is prepared," Gruffi responded sternly, "There's no telling how long this tunnel is or what we might find. That's why we have to bring so many supplies. It may take more than a day to reach the end."

"More than a day?" Tummi sounded concerned, "Did you pack enough food?"

"I packed plenty," Gruffi answered, "Now, let's get going." He started down the tunnel, a lantern in his right hand and his own bag hanging on his bag.

Gusto yawned as he fell into step behind Gruffi with Tummi bringing up the rear. It was too early to be awake, much less tramping about in the unknown with a heavy bag on your shoulders. Gusto had been slightly interested in this expedition the day before, but now he was too tired to be interested in anything except a nice, soft bed and a good nap. Uncharacteristically quiet, he followed Gruffi without really talking much.

At first the journey was more a job than an adventure. Gruffi had a sheet of paper in hand just in case there were any other tunnels so that he could make a map, but so far it had just been this one tunnel. He had also been checking the rails of the track as well as the overall structure for any signs of weakness but so far that had also been negative. In fact, he had commented that these tracks appeared newer than the quick car tunnels back at the Glen.

Behind Gusto, Tummi was following along slowly as he occasionally reached into the bag on his back for a snack. He no longer seemed worried about running out of food and even said that there was so much food in the bag than whenever he reached inside it was as if the food was 'handed' to him. He hadn't even had to look in the bag so far when reaching for an apple or an orange.

They traveled on and on for quite some time. Just when Gusto felt like he was about to collapse, Gruffi stopped suddenly. "I think that we should take a break," Gruffi announced, sitting his backpack on the cavern floor.

"Thank goodness," Gusto exclaimed, dropping his own bag unceremoniously and Tummi did the same.

"I don't know if I can move any more," Tummi said, as he sat down, breathing heavily.

Gruffi was the only one who didn't really seem tired as he began to rummage in his backpack. "There should be some sandwiches in here," he said, "Grammi made them before we left."

Gusto found his sandwich easily, but Tummi so far hadn't made a move towards his bag. "Did you already eat his sandwich?" he asked.

Tummi shook his head. "I'm just trying to catch my breath before I move again," he said, motioning to the bag, which sat a couple of feet away.

He must be really worn out if he's too tired to look for food, Gusto thought as he walked over to him. "Here," he offered, "I'll find it for you."

"Thanks," Tummi responding, smiling, "I wonder what kind of sandwich it will be."

"Well," Gusto began, as he started to open Tummi's bag, "Mine was – CUBBI?" There inside of Tummi's bag Cubbi sat looking up at Gusto, a mischievous smile adorning his young face.

"I think I'd prefer a ham sandwich," Tummi announced slowly.

"Cub," Gusto said as he lifted the young Gummi from the bag, "What are you doing here?"

"That's exactly what I'd like to know," Gruffi stated, crossing his arms across his chest. "Didn't I tell you to stay at the Glen?"

"I just wanted to go with you," Cubbi explained, as Gusto set him down. He smiled, giving Gruffi his most innocent expression.

"Don't give me that look," Gruffi commanded, "You're in a lot of trouble. Everyone in Gummi Glen is probably worried sick about you."

"I know but," Cubbi started, turning towards Gusto, who had defended him against Gruffi before, but now Gusto just laughed.

"Don't look at me," Gusto said, "He did tell you."

"I know. I know," Cubbi pouted.

"So what are we going to do?" Tummi asked. He looked inside of his bag. "And where's my sandwich?"

"I got a little hungry," Cubbi admitted.

Gruffi took Tummi's bag and looked inside. "And not only did you eat the sandwich, but you removed the rope, the bandages, and almost everything else. I guess that's so you could fit in the bag." He sighed loudly. "I hate to turn back after we traveled so far."

"Turn back?" Cubbi echoed.

"Maybe you should two should take Cubbi back," Gruffi continued as if he hadn't heard Cubbi, "And I'll continue. It would be a shame not to go on after we've come so far."

"But we don't have to go back now," Cubbi said, "It can't be that much farther." The young Gummi ran ahead and disappeared around a curve in the tunnel. 

"Cubbi!" Gruffi called after him, "Don't run off alone!"

"I see it!" Cubbi yelled, "I see the end of the tunnel!"

"What?" Gruffi exclaimed. Both he and Gusto ran around the curve only to see that Cubbi was right. There was a quick car setting there, as if just waiting to be used, but it wasn't on the track itself. Just beyond that, there was the glimpse of what appeared to be a city.

"It don't look like they were quite finished with this tunnel," Gruffi said as he examined the car, "They were probably going to connect it with the main tracks when they were done. I wonder why they stopped." He glanced up at the sky and noticed that it was already late in the evening. No wonder they were all so tired.

"Last one in the city is a rotten Gummi!" Cubbi sang out as he ran towards the city.

"Come back here!" Gruffi yelled, but Cubbi was already gone. With a frustrated sigh, Gruffi once again ran after Cubbi as Gusto followed close behind. Tummi made it to the end of the tunnel just in time to see the others run off, so he sat down in the quick car, deciding to let them do the running for a bit.

Gruffi ran into the city, at first focused on finding Cubbi but as soon he noticed the destruction around them. He slowly came to a stop and Gusto did the same as they slowly looked around them.

Everywhere was death and destruction. Buildings lay in blackened heaps and nothing was left intact. "What happened here?" Gusto asked, his voice strangely flat, "Was there a fire?"

"There was a fire," Gruffi said, "but someone set it after this place was destroyed. These stone walls wouldn't have crumpled so badly from just a fire. This place was destroyed on purpose."

"But why?"

"I don't know," Gruffi admitted. He noticed that Cubbi had stopped in front of them and was just staring at something to his left. "Wait right there, Cubbi!" Gruffi commanded, running up to him. However, when he got closer to Cubbi, he saw was had transfixed the younger Gummi so.

There, near the center of town, someone had attempted to create a huge pyre, but the fire had not been hot enough to destroy the bones. There, among the ashes were piles of Gummi skeletons. Some were larger, but some looked as if they had belonged to Gummies even younger than Cubbi.

"What is all this?" inquired Gusto, as he walked closer.

Gruffi shook his head, as he tried to get Cubbi to look away, but Cubbi just stood there staring as tears poured from his wide open eyes. Finally, Gruffi managed to pull Cubbi away and the younger Gummi spun around and collapsed against Gruffi as he continued to cry. Gruffi picked him up and allowed Cubbi to cry on his shoulder as he carried him from the city. He started back towards the tunnel when he noticed that Gusto was not following. Turning around, he noticed that Gusto was just standing in the center, his eyes open wide but seemingly seeing nothing. "Gusto!" Gruffi said sharply, "Let's go."

Gusto looked towards Gruffi and blinked a few times before obeying. Together they walked back towards the tunnel where Tummi still sat in the quick car, unaware of their gruesome discovery. "Did you find anything?" he asked, innocently.

Gruffi shook his head. "It's just an abadoned city," he responded, "Now, let's get back to the Glen."

"Okay," Tummi said. He noticed Cubbi still crying on Gruffi's shoulder. "What's wrong with Cubbi?"

"He's just tired," Gruffi said, "It's been a long day, so let's all go home."

Tummi smiled tiredly and began following the others. Soon, however he fell behind as they walked back home. 

Gruffi glanced back at him and then looked at Gusto. "Look," he whispered, "let's not tell the others how bad it really was."

"What do you mean?" Gusto asked.

"There's no reason to mention how bad the city was destroyed or anything," Gruffi continued, "What good would it be for them to know? Let me just do the talking when we get back."

"But what about Cubbi?"

Gruffi looked down at Cubbi who was now sleeping in his arms. "I don't think he's going to want to talk about just yet," he replied.

Gusto nodded. "I didn't like that place," he said, softly.

"That's just about the most sensible thing you've ever said," Gruffi responded.

"It felt wrong – evil somehow."

Normally Gruffi, who relied on the solid truths of what he could see, hear, touch etc., would have argued about how something felt. Yet, Gusto was right. There was an evil in that city that was almost tangible somehow. "I know what you mean," Gruffi agreed, "I know what you mean."

They continued the rest of the way without talking and, by the time they reached the Glen, all of them felt as if they were about to collapse. They made they way quietly into the Glen, knowing that the others were probably asleep for it was now very early the next morning, but Grammi was waiting on them.

"Cubbi did go with you!" she cried, "Oh, thank heavens. I was so worried." She took the sleeping Gummi in her arms so that she could put him properly to bed. "I've made your beds and I've even prepared a room for you Gusto. I know you usually don't sleep here but I thought you might like to considering what a day you've had."

Gusto nodded, to tired to argue. In a sleepy haze, he allowed Grammi to lead him to the room she prepared as he heard her say something about Zummi translating the journal that Gruffi found, but that could wait until morning.

Gusto was asleep almost as soon as his head touched the pillow, but his final thoughts were that of the destroyed city. The terrors and horrors those Gummies might have witnessed – he could only imagine.


	2. Part 2

****

Part 2:

The bed was warm and soft, and the portion of the room that Gusto could see through his half-closed lids looked cozy and inviting. He snuggled deeper into the blankets, trying to will the portion of his brain that had awakened to fall back asleep for just a few more minutes.

But wait, his mind spoke up as he eyelids flew open, this wasn't where he lived. Where was the roar of the waterfall or his art supplies? He jumped up only to slam his head into a shelf that was above the bed.

"Ow," he mumbled, rubbing his head. He could feel a small knot forming already.

"Are you trying to wake yourself up or knock yourself back to sleep?" a familiar voice asked.

Gusto's gaze drifted upward and saw Artie perched on a small shelf above the door. "Artie? Where am…" His voice trailed off as the memories of the previous day slammed into him with such a force he involuntarily flinched. Before he could force his mind to forget, visions of the destroyed city and Gummi skeletons swam before his tired eyes. He shook his head as he pushed the images deeper into his mind. His memory was usually horrible, but the one time he wanted to forget something it seemed impossible.

He looked up at Artie and gave his best impression of a smile. "How long have I been asleep?" he asked, trying to sound cheerful. He stretched while still lying on the bed.

"I don't know," Artie answered, "When I came down here this morning they told me you were asleep. I was a little worried when you didn't show back up at your place." His voice made it obvious he was more than a 'little worried'.

"The only way I could've made it back," Gusto responded, still stretching, "Is if I went sleepwalking." The muscles in his legs were knotted tightly from the previous day's excursion and hurt when he moved. He kneaded the taunt muscles with his hand, but he couldn't seem to work out the tightness.

"Oh, and Grammi said that Zummi finished translating the diary or something like that," Artie said.

"Journal," Gusto corrected, quietly, "I remember her saying something about that last night, but I wasn't sure if that was real or I was just dreaming." 

Yawning, he got up from bed and quickly straightened up the blankets and sheets. Unfortunately, the wrinkles in his clothes couldn't be straightened so easily. He had fallen asleep without changing and had even left his sandals on. He wasn't vain really, but he still hated looking so disheveled and didn't dare look into a mirror just yet. 

Once the bed was made, he lifted his right arm out and Artie flew down and landed on his shoulder. These actions were done without any words being passed between the two for they had been around each other so long that they had learned to recognize each other's actions and emotions. That was why Artie knew that something was bothering Gusto, but he would wait until his friend felt like talking.

Gusto walked out of the room and into the long hallway that ran the length of Gummi Glen. When he walked into the main room, he was not particularly surprised to see all the others, except for Cubbi, gathered there.

"Mornin' Everyone!" Gusto greeted them, smiling. He tried to put every ounce of happiness he could muster into his smile, but it still felt false upon his false.

The other Gummies mumbled their greetings with far less enthusiasm. Tummi looked worse than Gusto felt with dark circles around his already tired and bloodshot eyes. Gruffi however appeared to be feeling perfectly fine despite their ordeal the day before.

"I guess since Gusto decided to wake up, we're all here," Gruffi said. Only his voice, which was somewhat coarser than usual, betrayed his state of mind. Gusto ignored the verbal jab, knowing that Gruffi was still shaken up from their discovery.

"Cubbi's not up yet," Sunni announced, "I'll go wake him." She started to get up.

"Let him sleep," Gruffi commanded, "He needs his rest." Gruffi glanced at Gusto; both of them knowing that Cubbi might be very upset when he awoke. "So, what did you find out from the journal?"

Zummi jumped slightly when he realized the question was directed towards him. "Uh, yes the, uh, journal," he stammered. Standing up, he looked at his friends. "The journal was written by an old Gummi who only referred to himself as Elder. Oh, and the language the journal was written in wasn't ancient it was actually more modern than what we usually use. It was just a foreign language not usually used around here." He took a deep breath after his short speech.

"The city was called The Sunset Cavern," he continued.

"Pretty name," Sunni mused aloud.

"Uh, yeah," Zummi agreed, "I guess it was. Anyway, the city wasn't all that well known. I had to book it up in a look, er, look it up in a book."

He picked up a large book from the table and, like a teacher showing a picture from a story to a class, he pointed out an illustration of the city. It was an unusual style as it had four large pillars about the city. "It was not originally supposed to be a city for Gummies to live in," Zummi continued, "It was build to hide the Sunset Caves."

"Sunset Caves?" Grammi repeated.

"Yes," Zummi said, "There were several small caves around the city, but one held a great magical power that not even the Gummies who lived there fully understood. When the light from the setting sun hit the largest of the caves it would glow brightly. According to the legends, if a sorcerer was in the cave at this time, he could obtain unimaginable power. That's why the city was build. The four pillars represented strength, but they also blocked the sight of letting sun, light of the setting sun, from reaching the caves."

"But why did Gummies start living there?" Gruffi asked.

"According to the journal," Zummi explained, "There was some disagreement among the members of one royal Gummi family as to who was to rule. Instead of arguing, the family split into two halves, allowing some of the family to rule over The Sunset Cavern. A small group followed and although the city was fairly large, not all that many Gummies lived there."

Zummi paused as he took a deep breath and looked at the others. "Then, the city was destroyed."

"What?" Grammi exclaimed, leaning forward.

Gusto watched Zummi closely as he waited for him to continue. Since he had seen the overwhelming destruction of the lost city, he hadn't really thought of what had caused this destruction – only the pain and suffering it had generated. Yet, now the answer of the origin of the evil, which he had felt so very strongly in The Sunset Cavern, was about to be revealed and he couldn't help but be intrigued.

Zummi skipped to the back of the journal, but the last half was filled with blank pages. Finding the last page that had been used, he faced the others once more. "I didn't take the time to translate all of it," he admitted, "After I read the first bit, I thought it would be important to read the last since Gruffi, Gusto, and Tummi were going there." He looked down upon the page as he ran his fingers over the words, which had been written by a trembling hand.

"What does it say?" Gruffi asked, his voice unusually soft.

"A sorcerer came to the town," Zummi answered, "He destroyed the four pillars along with the entire city so that the sunlight could now reach the caves. Elder was in another one of the caves at the time when he heard the noise, but by the time he reached the town it was too late. The sorcerer apparently took the magic from the Sunset Cavern and left."

"And the other Gummies?" Sunni asked, slowly.

Zummi looked at her evenly, tears welling up in his eyes. "Elder was the only survivor," he said, his voice breaking.

"No!" cried Sunni as tears came to her own eyes.

"I'm afraid so," Zummi continued, "Afterwards, Elder burnt what was left of the city. There had been a quick car tunnel being built, but it wasn't completed yet. He placed this journal at the mouth of the tunnel so he could tell anyone who found it what had happened."

"What about Elder?" Grammi asked.

"I don't know what happened to him," Zummi admitted, "His last entry only said what he planned to do. However, from some things that he said, I suspect he was quite old at that time, so I truly doubt he would be alive today." He paused to wipe a tear from one of his eyes as he turned to Gruffi. "Was the city burned?"

"Yes," Gruffi answered, tonelessly. He didn't seem to care to elaborate.

"How sad," Grammi remarked, "So, what are we planning to do now."

Gruffi stood up. "I'm going back," he announced.

"But why?" Gusto exclaimed a shade to quickly, jumping to his feet.

"I'm going to have to close off the quick car tunnel," he responded, "That way, if someone found the city, they couldn't make their way back here. Plus, I need to make sure that no one could ever tell that it had been a Gummi city at one time. I know it was burned, but you can never be too careful"

Gusto started to say something else in response, but was interrupted when suddenly Cubbi cried out in his sleep. Instantly, the other Gummies ran into his bedroom where he lay, thrashing in his bed trying to fight off the night demon only he could see.

"Cubbi, dear!" Grammi cried, as she ran to his side and took the still sleeping Gummi in her arms.

"The skeletons," Cubbi mumbled as he woke up slightly.

"Gruffi Gummi!" she yelled, "What did he see yesterday?"

**************

Zummi walked slowly back into the library, his soul feeling as if it weighed 100 pounds inside his chest. After Cubbi had cried out, Gruffi had admitted that there was more destruction that he had originally stated, but seemed reluctant to elaborate. He was holding something back – and Zummi knew exactly how he felt. He wasn't telling the whole story either.

He reopened the journal and turned to the last entry once more. He ran his trembling fingers across Elder's words as he read the final paragraphs.

__

Why? Why? I've asked myself that question so many times it no longer seems to have any meaning. There is no 'why' anymore. All there is now is what I have to do. I hate this. To be the one who has to kill this young Gummi – the future king of the Sunset Cavern. An innocent yet a liability. He looks so much like his mother when she was a child. I was like a grandfather to her – but now I must kill her child.

The words sound so harsh, but is there a way to soften the act of killing? It's murder, but I see no other way. That demon sorcerer called it a gift, but it is a curse. What if that curse could destroy many lives? I can not take that chance. I can not. Forgive me.

Why does it have to be by my hand? I know why. Because I am the only one here. Yet, if there were a way that I could turn this decision – this act to someone else, I would gladly lay down my own life. But that is not the case.

I will do the horrible act while he is still sleeping and I pray he feels nothing. I don't want him to feel the sting of death as his parents had to. They say that eternity is bliss to the young and innocent. I wonder what it will be like for the old ones that have seen too much.

I am rambling, so I guess I should stop. If there is any wisdom to be taken from this tragedy, then I beg you to take it and please do not pass judgement on this foolish, old bear. Yet, I know I am asking forgiveness for a crime that I could never forgive myself of.

Elder Gummi

The candle burning nearby shone upon his face, as the tears glistened down his cheeks. He knew why Gruffi hadn't told all that he had found. He hadn't told the others about the young prince that had been killed by Elder. There was no use; the young Gummi was long since dead.

Wiping his eyes, he had planned to translate the rest of the journal at one time, but now there seemed to be no reason. He already knew how this story ended.

**************

Gusto looked at the massive painting that he had spent so long working on. Just the other day, he had been so pleased with the work, but now it seemed faded and unimportant. It was as if the destruction he had seen had taken the joy from his heart.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Artie asked.

"Fine," Gusto replied automatically, "I'm still just a bit tired is all."

"If you say so," Artie responded, sounding unconvinced.

Gusto turned away from the painting and found a smaller, unused canvas, which he placed on an easel. Gathering his paint about him, he slowly began to paint the familiar strokes of blue and green gliding expertly across the canvas. As the painting began to take shape, he felt his uneasiness slowly began to slip away.

"Gusto?" Sunni called out from outside, "You here?"

"Come on in, Sunni," Gusto called back as he finished the painting before him. When she walked inside, he greeted her with the first real smile he had been able to produce since first going to the Sunset Cave.

"Wow!" Sunni exclaimed walking up to the massive painting, "I love it!"

"Thanks," Gusto said, "Now if we can figure out how to move it, we'll be doing great!"

Sunni laughed, "But where are you?"

"Right here," Gusto said, pointing to the image of him painting.

"That's all," Sunni stated, "I thought you said you were going to include yourself in this painting."

"I did," Gusto replied, "I told you though, I really don't like painting myself." He walked back over towards his new painting and Sunni followed him.

"When did you do this one?" she asked.

"Just finished it."

"I like it," she complimented, "but it doesn't look like your usual paintings."

Gusto turned his head sideways. "I guess it doesn't," he admitted, "I'd never thought of that before."

"But I like it, anyway!" Sunni said, quickly.

Gusto laughed again, feeling more like his old self once more.

**************

Gruffi was exhausted by the time he made it back to Gummi Glen. He had returned to Sunset Cavern the day before, yet he told the others he wanted to go alone. He really didn't have that much work to do and he really didn't want the others to see this place. Gusto had seen it before, but Gruffi wasn't sure how well he was handling the situation.

Elder's fire had destroyed almost every Gummi artifact in the city, just as he had apparently planned to do. The only thing Gruffi had found intact was a part of a portrait of a young Gummi girl. The fire had destroyed most of the portrait so that now all he had was a small piece and the weathering had faded it to only a black and white image, but it still haunted Gruffi to look at it. She looked so young and carefree; it was hard to think that she might have died in the destruction of the city. Gruffi knew he was being ridiculous: she could have merely been the creation of a creative artist (he had seen Gusto invent a few Gummies before in his paintings) or, if she did exist, there was no guarantee she was in the city at the time. Still, he couldn't help but wonder.

After he examined the city, he had pulled a remained of a stone wall on the Gummi remains that had not been destroyed by the fire and had closed off the entrance to the quick tunnels from the inside. Later, he would close off the end that led to the Glen, but he could do that later. Right now, he wanted a hot bath and sleep.

He was walking down the hall just as Sunni came out of her room. "Hi, Gruffi," she greeted, "You look beat."

Gruffi nodded and started to say that he was tired, when suddenly his eyes opened wide with apparent shock as he stared at Sunni.

"Is something wrong?" she asked, feeling uncomfortable.

"This can't be," he mumbled, "It just can't be."

****

End Part 2

__

I just know how much everyone loves cliffhangers *tee hee*. Anyway, next part is coming along. I would have had it done, but some things came up that I wasn't expecting. I have the next part of "Of Dragons and Angels" that I'm working on and I'm almost done with "Grasping At Love's Last Straws." Oh, guess who now how a literary agent! Look for my first book, "Mark of Spade" coming soon! 


	3. Part 3

****

Part 3:

The day arose bright and clear and Gusto, as he watched the sun rise over the mountains, felt filled with renewed hope. It had been too long since had awoke early enough to actually see a sunrise, but if anything the view before him was even more beautiful than he had remembered. He stretched casually: the smile upon his face both genuine and easy.

"It looks like someone is in a good mood," Artie greeted him as he flew over.

"How could anyone be in a bad mood looking at a view like this," Gusto responded, waving his arm slowly to indicate the beauty before him.

"Good point," Artie agreed.

After taking in the sunrise a few more minutes, Gusto finally turned and went back inside to clean up. He talked almost continuously about some new ideas and projects he wanted to try; each idea somehow more fantastic than the last. It truly seemed that Gusto was back to his old self once more. This was not to say he had forgotten all about the Sunset Cavern. Instead, he had just gotten to the point that he could accept what had happened and could deal with it.

As soon as he was ready, he made his way toward Gummi Glen. He was earlier than usual, so he expected Grammi to still be in the process of making breakfast and Tummi to be the only one at the table. However, when he entered the dining room, he was surprised to see all the others, except for Zummi, sitting there, as if waiting for something or someone.

"Hey guys!" Gusto greeted. He was a bit unnerved, but he managed to keep his voice steady.

Gruffi stood up straighter and pulled out a painting from behind the table. "Gusto," he began, "What's this?"

Gusto looked at the cheerful painting, which Gruffi laid on the table. A young Gummi, a beautiful smile upon her youthful face, beamed from the canvas. Her blue hair, only a shade darker than her fur, was tied back by a large, green ribbon and fell to her shoulders in cascading waves. He immediately recognized the image because he had painted it only yesterday. "That's the painting I gave Sunni," he clarified, "Is there something wrong with it?"

Gruffi didn't answer at first, as he ran his callused fingers across the young girl's face. "When did you paint this?"

"Yesterday. Why?"

Turning around, Gruffi pulled out the charred portrait he had found in the city and laid it on the table next to Gusto's. Although this painting was badly faded, one thing became immediately obvious: it was the same girl. Although the dress she wore was different, she had the same oversized bow in her hair and innocent smile upon her face. "I found this painting in the ruins of the Sunset Cavern," Gruffi explained.

A myriad of emotions flickered across Gusto's face as he examined the paintings. "That's sure some coincidence," he finally remarked, his voice cracking slightly.

"This is no coincidence," Gruffi replied, sternly, "And you know it. It's the same girl." Taking a deep breath, he leaned forward. "Did you see this painting the other day when you were in the city?"

Gusto raised his eyes until his gaze met Gruffi's. For the briefest of moments, he considered lying, but his overall nature was of one who was honest and truthful. "No," he admitted softly.

Artie looked from Gruffi to Gusto, his expression grim. "He's painted her before," he volunteered, wincing as if he felt he was betraying Gusto.

Gruffi's eyes widened with genuine surprise. "Really?" he managed.

The Gummi artist nodded slowly nodded. "Many times."

"We jokingly dubbed her his muse," Artie added, "Whenever he's stressed or something, he paints another portrait of her. But I had always thought he'd made her up."

"Maybe the original painting's famous," Sunni spoke up, "And Gusto just saw it in a book or something."

"Is that possible?" Gruffi asked.

"I don't know," Gusto shrugged, "Maybe."

"Just answer me this one question," Gruffi continued, "Had you ever been in Sunset Cavern before?"

"I don't know."

"You don't know," Gruffi repeated, "How can you not know?"

"I just don't," Gusto voice rose slightly, "I can't remember. I can't remember anything."

"Gusto," Grammi said soothingly, walking over to him, "What are you saying?"

Gusto sat down heavily in a nearby chair. "I can't remember much about my past. It's just like I woke up one day from a long sleep," he replied, "I know how silly that sounds, but there's simply no better way of describing it. I awoke one morning and my mind was just empty." He paused as he looked at the portraits on the table. "Like a blank canvas."

"Amnesia?" Gruffi asked.

"I guess so," Gusto answered, "I was on the beach of the island when I awoke, so later I assumed there might have been a shipwreck or something." He rubbed his right temple, absently.

"How old were you at the time?" Grammi asked.

"Not really sure. A little older than Cubbi I guess."

"And you had no idea who you were?" Sunni spoke up.

"I did have one clue," Gusto said, "There were some art supplies and paintings on the beach around me. I liked art and soon as I painted a few more it was obvious I had created the other paintings, all of which had been signed 'Augustus Gummi'. I figured that was my name."

"You could paint when you were that young?" Sunni inquired. Despite the gravity of the situation, there was a certain amount of admiration in her voice.

Gusto's laugh was short and bitter. "I said they were paintings," he clarified, "I never said that they were good."

As Gruffi heard Gusto's confession, he suddenly felt ignorant for not realizing it sooner. While Gusto had not been exactly evasive when it came to his past, his answers were ambiguous at best. Once, Sunni had asked what day his birthday was, and Gusto's response had been that he liked to treat everyday like his birthday. Also, Gusto's explanation of how he became stranded on the island on the first place had never really been elaborated beyond, "…woke up and the beach was gone." Truthfully, Gruffi had assumed that Gusto had been running away from some sort of responsibility. "Why didn't you tell us before?" he demanded.

"I guess I should have," Gusto admitted, "but I always hoped that one day I was going to wake up and all my memories would be back. Sometimes, I would remember stuff when I was asleep. I'd wake myself up yelling out names I didn't know – although Artie said it just sounded like I was yelling my own name. Still, those memories just seemed so close at times I would sure I would have to remember something. But I never did."

"So you really could have been to The Sunset Cavern before?" Gruffi stated.

"I already said that…"Gusto began.

"You could have even lived there," interrupted Gruffi.

"But Zummi said there were no survivors," Grammi said.

"Elder survived," Gruffi insisted, "because he was in one of the other caves. It's possible that someone else could have survived too. If you saw that city being destroyed, it could explain why you ran and why you don't remember anything."

"Look," Gusto said, standing up, "I'm not saying it's not possible, but I don't know. I just don't know!"

"But don't you even want to find out?" Gruffi asked.

Gusto looked at Gruffi for a few minutes, the hurt showing clearly in his eyes. "How can I?" he finally asked, his voice barely audible. Without waiting for an answer, he turned and left the Glen.

"Why did you do that, Gruffi?" Grammi asked once Gusto had left, "What's wrong with you?"

"I don't understand why he doesn't want to find out," Gruffi responded, "He should want to know."

"Do you want him to know?" Grammi asked, "Or do you just want to know." She left the dining hall and went into the kitchen to prepare a late breakfast. Gruffi stood there a few minutes longer, her question weighing in his mind, and feeling more than a touch of guilt.

***************

"No, that's not right," Zummi mumbled to himself as he looked down at the spell he had been copying. He had written one of the words wrong and he had learned from experience that just one incorrect word could have disastrous results. Sighing, he rubbed his tired eyes for a moment. He had been copying down spells for most of the night, but most of his attempts were in balled up sheets of paper that lay upon the floor. It wasn't his tiredness that was causing him to make mistakes; he just couldn't get Elder's words out his head.

He turned and looked at the small journal that lay on a nearby table. He couldn't even begin to imagine what it would have been liked to be Elder and to see everything he knew and held dear destroyed around him. It must have been horrible. His thoughts were interrupted by a soft knock upon the library door.

"Come in," he said.

Grammi opened the door and stepped inside, a tray of food in her hands. "Good morning, Zummi," she greeted, but her voice seemed strained somehow, "I've brought you something to eat."

"Is it breakfast time already?" Zummi asked.

"Actually, it's past time," Grammi answered, "Breakfast is a little late this morning." 

"Well that's fine," he responded as he walked over to take the tray from her hands. When he was closer, he noticed the odd expression on her face. "Is something wrong?"

She nodded. "Something happened this morning," she said. Slowly, she related the incidents of what had occurred with Gusto earlier. "So, what do you think?" she asked when she had finished.

"I suppose there is a possibility that Gusto could be from The Sunset Cavern," Zummi admitted.

"But isn't he a little young? I assumed that city had been destroyed a long time ago – before he was born."

"Actually," Zummi said, "If I read the journal correctly, the city wasn't built all that long ago."

"But if other Gummies were that close, than why didn't they come here?" Grammi seemed confused.

"I'm not sure. They were connecting a quick car tunnel to ours, but we didn't use our quick car tunnels until recently. They may have thought there was no one here."

"So Gusto could really have been from that city?"

"It's hard to say," Zummi stated, "But I don't see how they could have been other survivors. Elder clearly states that he was the only one." Zummi's voice cracked slightly, but he hoped that Grammi hadn't noticed

"You're probably right," Grammi responded, smiling slightly, "Thanks, Zummi. See you at dinnertime?"

"Sure," he said, as he watched her leave the library, closing the door behind her.

Truth was, Zummi had intended to keep his word with Grammi, but the time slipped away faster than he realized. Time for the next meal came and went, and he was still struggling with copying a few spells. Finally, late that afternoon he decided that he needed a break. As he walked past the table, he glanced down at Elder's journal. Picking it up, along with a few other books, he started to place it on a high shelf when it fell from his fingers. He put the other books on the shelf and bent down slowly but his hand froze before it touched the journal. The last half of the book was unused, but for the first time he noticed there was one page near the back that had been written upon – as if someone had just grabbed the book and wrote upon the first page they came to. As Zummi read the words upon the page, his blood ran cold. With a speed he didn't know he possessed, he ran into the main hall in search of the others.

He ran into the main room where Gruffi and Sunni were sitting. "Where's Gusto?" Zummi gasped, as he struggled to catch his breath.

"What? I don't know where he is," Gruffi responded, his voice still thick with guilt.

"What's going on?" Grammi asked, followed by Tummi and Cubbi.

"Does anyone know where Gusto is?" Zummi repeated, "We have to find him."

"Is he in trouble?" Sunni asked.

Zummi nodded. "Yes. I think we all are."

Just then, Artie flew into the room. "Where's Gusto?" Zummi and Sunni demanded simultaneously.

Artie seemed shocked. "He's not here? I haven't seen him since this morning. After we left, he said he wanted to come back and talk to Gruffi alone."

"He must be heading for The Sunset Cavern," Zummi said, "We have to stop him!" He ran towards the quick car tunnels, the others following close behind.

"What's this all about?" Gruffi asked.

Zummi didn't slow down as he explained. "You were right," he answered, "Gusto is from that city and he was there when it was destroyed."

"I knew it!" Gruffi exclaimed.

"But that's not all," Zummi added, as they reached the tunnels, "The sorcerer who destroyed the town placed some sort of curse on Gusto that will be activated if he's in that town at sunset."

"What?" cried Sunni.

"What kind of curse was it?" Grammi asked.

"I'm not sure," Zummi replied, "But I've never heard of a good curse before."

"Well, he definitely went there," Gruffi said, looking at his tools he had left in the tunnels, "He took a shovel with him." He looked at Zummi. "You say this curse becomes active at sunset?"

"Yes, that's why we have to hurry!"

"There's no way we can catch up to him if he left this morning," Gruffi said, "Unless…" his voice trailed off as he began searching through his tools.

"What are you doing?" Sunni asked.

"We can't catch him by running," Gruffi explained, "but if I can connect these tracks to the quick car tunnel to the city, we'll have a chance."

"Good idea," Zummi said, hurrying over to help as the other Gummies followed suit. Quickly, they put the two tracks together and readied a quick car. 

"We're ready," Gruffi said, "The tracks should be fine, until we get to the end. Just do as I tell you to do. And Zummi, I want you to tell us exactly what's going on here."

Zummi nodded as he hoped they would make it in time.

***************

Gusto stood in the city, but felt nothing but the uneasiness he had felt the first time. Feeling defeated he sat down on the crumbled remains of a rock wall as he looked up at the sun, which would be setting soon. 

When Gruffi had first suggested that he might be from this town, Gusto had been both saddened and relieved. The town was totally destroyed, so it was doubtful he would find any family or friends alive. Yet, if he was from here he might finally have a clue to who he really was. But how could anyone find clues in such destruction? He sighed loudly, as wiped the dirt from his clothes. He had only been able to dig a small hole in dirt and rock Gruffi had piled at the entrance.

Sighing again, his gaze turned upward towards the sun once more as he noticed just how fast it was moving across the sky. He had never seen anything like it before. Standing up, he began to feel dizzy and faint as the sun continued to race.

A large cave in the distance began to glow with power. Didn't the sorcerer rob the cave of its power? Still, the cave continued to glow, the light seeming to throb and pulse. He stepped forward and hit his foot over a rock. Leaning down, he picked the rock up in his hand, marveling at how the weight felt in his fingers.

"What are you planning to do with that rock?" an unfamiliar voice asked.

Gusto turned around slowly, his brain refusing to comprehend the sight that lay before him.

****

End Part 3.

__

Part 4 is coming soon. I hope you are interested.


	4. Part 4

****

Part 4

Gruffi climbed into the quick car as did the others and soon they began to race down the track. Up ahead, they could see the turn-off leading to the Sunset Cavern. "All right everyone," Gruffi stated, "Lean to the right!" All the Gummies, except for Tummi, leaned to the right. Tummi leaned to the left.

"The other right, Tummi!" Gruffi yelled.

"Oh," Tummi responded, leaning to the right.

The quick car tilted dangerously to the right, the left wheels spinning uselessly in the air. Gruffi began to fear the car would tip over, but then it jolted safely onto the other track. "Quit leaning," he commanded. The others did as he instructed and soon the quick car was rolling smoothly on all its wheels down the track. Gruffi grabbed a few ropes he had placed in the quick car before taking off and began tying it his and Sunni's (who was sitting next to him) lap.

"What are you doing?" Grammi asked.

"We're going to have a rough stop," he responded, "The end of this tunnel is blocked by dirt and rock. We're going to have to tie these ropes around us so we won't be thrown out of the quick car." He handed a rope to Grammi and Zummi as well as one to Tummi, was sitting with Cubbi. Artie had been sitting on the back of the front seat, but he moved down to the floor where he assumed it would probably be safer. "Make sure to tie it tight," he said. Once everyone was secured, Gruffi glanced back at Zummi. "Now what's this about Gusto being from that city?"

"Uh, yes," Zummi said, "There was one thing in that journal that I didn't mention the first time. There was one other survivor – a young pummi gince, er Gummi prince I mean."

"And that's Gusto?" Sunni asked, her eyes growing wide.

"Why didn't you mention it before?" inquired Grammi.

"Because I thought this young Gummi was, uh, no longer alive," Zummi explained, "Elder saw the sorcerer do something to the boy; a curse of some sort. His last entry in the journal stated that he was going to kill the boy because there was no telling what the curse might do." Zummi fell silent as he thought of what Elder had written.

"But he didn't?" Gruffi prompted.

"No," Zummi said softly, "I didn't realize it until earlier today. I was putting the journal on a high shelf when it fell and I noticed that something was written on a page near the back. It turns out Elder couldn't bring himself to actually hurt anyone, so he decided to run away from the city with the young Gummi. They were on the edge of the ridge when sunset fell. At that time the Sunset Cave began to glow and the boy began to moan. Realizing that the curse was somehow connected to the cave, Elder ran on and in a few minutes they were out of sight of the cave and the boy quieted down. That's when Elder decided to take far away from the city and placed him under a spell – a sort of magical amnesia so he wouldn't remember the town or want to return to it."

"Are you sure it's Gusto?" Grammi asked.

Zummi nodded slowly. "I guess it seems strange that I keep calling him 'the boy' or 'young Gummi', but it's hard to accept that it's Gusto. Still, it has to be. For one, too many things fit together: Gusto's amnesia, the girl in the painting, and Gusto being stranded on an island that was far away from the Sunset Cavern. But that's not the reason I'm sure."

He dropped his head as tears came to his eyes. "Elder's final words in the journal were, "Please forgive me, Prince Augustus."

"Oh my," Grammi said, breathlessly.

"So Gusto's some sort of prince?" Cubbi spoke up.

"I was the first one who actually starting him Gusto," Artie said sadly, "He said Augustus sounded too long and formal for him."

"That makes sense in a way," Gruffi admitted, "I was wondering how Gusto got to that island in the first place – he was too young to be on a boat by himself and, if he wasn't alone, where was everyone else? Plus, the way that there just happen to be paintings on the beach with his name on it. I thought that was way too convenient. It seemed like it was set up."

"I guess it was," Zummi said.

"So what are we going to do?" Sunni asked.

"We've got to try to get Gusto out of that city before the sun sets," Zummi answered.

"And if we can't?" Grammi inquired.

Zummi didn't answer as they sped on towards the city.

*****************

"What are you planning to do with that rock?"

Gusto turned around slowly to face the sorcerer that stood before him. As the sun had been racing through the sky as if to speed up time, Gusto had retreated backwards in his life. He was Prince Augustus and his adult years were still in the distant future. He was the young prince of this very city, yet…

The city was gone. He had been playing near the caves when he saw a huge fireball engulf the town, the fire beast devouring all in one gulp. The city no longer burning; as if the fire had burnt itself out as quickly as it came, but the results was the same. Everything was gone.

He stood beside the pile of rubble that had been the castle – his home knowing that his father, mother, and sister were all gone. And there was nothing he could do. He didn't know why he had picked up the rock at first, as he continued to rub the surface with his fingers. Then, that man had spoken to him.

"What are you planning to do with that rock?" The horrible sorcerer who had caused all the trouble had a beautiful, rich voice that caused Augustus to cringe. A creature so evil did not deserve to have a beautiful voice.

Augustus watched him, trembling from emotion. Normally he was timid, even scared around humans, but now his anger and hurt overcame his being. Not only did the man have a beautiful voice, he was undeniable handsome in human standards. All his features seemed perfectly formed, his light complexion contrasting perfectly with his black wavy hair and dark blue eyes. Prince Augustus stood as tall as he could as he stared at him.

"You want to know what I'm going to use this rock for?" the young prince snarled, "then watch this!" With all his strength, he threw the rock at the sorcerer.

With a casual wave of his long fingered hand, the rock disintegrated before coming in contact with the sorcerer. "So you wish to harm me?" he asked, his tone never wavering, "You would even go as far as kill me? Interesting. And why is that, young Gummi?"

"You killed them!" Augustus cried, tears streaming down his face.

"So angry. You wish to take your vengeance on me – on the world I would wager. We are not so different then, you and I." The sorcerer stepped a few steps toward him. "The only difference is that I have the power to make my wishes a reality, but you do not. Perhaps, I can help you."

Taking a final step, he looked down at Augustus. "To you, young one," he announced, "I give a great gift." He stretched his hand forward and for the first time Augustus became afraid.

*****************

"I see the end of the tunnel!" Gruffi yelled, "Hold on!"

The quick car slammed into the dirt and everyone was flung forward, but thanks to the ropes no one was thrown out of the car. "Is everyone okay?" Grammi asked.

"We're fine," Cubbi said.

"Speak for yourself," Artie complained from beneath Sunni's foot where she had accidentally stepped on him.

"Sorry, Artie," Sunni apologized as she moved her foot.

Gruffi hurriedly untied the rope and rushed to the hole Gusto had dug. Thankfully, Gusto had dug a decent size hole, so that all of them should be able to get through (although it would probably be a tight fit for Tummi). As Gruffi climbed through the hole, he was glad that Gusto hadn't dug one just big enough for himself – Gusto's build was somewhat slimmer than his own, but his hopes fell as soon as he was able to look into the city. 

Gusto was standing near the middle of the city with light pulsating around his body. In the distance, the Sunset Cave was glowing with a nearly blinding light, as the setting sun burned red upon the city. Gusto's eyes were open, but he was staring blankly ahead of black lightening bolts of power shot into the ground around him.

"Gusto!" Sunni cried, running towards him before any of the others could stop her.

"Come back!" Gruffi yelled, as he tried to catch up with her.

She reached Gusto first and grabbed his arm to try and pull him away, but he seemed rooted firmly to the spot. Gruffi grabbed Sunni and pulled her back, both them falling to the ground, just before one of the black bolts destroyed where she had been standing, bit of rock and stone cutting at their faces.

"No!" she screamed, struggling against Gruffi's arms, "We have to help him!"

"We can't help if we're dead!" Gruffi responded, holding on to her tightly, "We have to move back!"

Yet, before they could move, black tentacles rose from Gusto's body and wrapped around his form. In a flash of light, where Gusto stood near roared a black dragon with three terrible heads. The heads screamed as the dragon stepped towards Gruffi and Sunni, who had nowhere to run.

"We've got to do something!" Grammi cried, "Zummi, don't you have a spell or something to fix this!"

"I don't think there is a spell to do that," Zummi responded, looking through the few spells he had brought along. Although he knew that it was a curse the sorcerer had placed upon Gusto, he had never anticipated anything like this.

The ebony beast moved closer to Gruffi and Sunni and roared again. "Gusto, it's us!" Sunni yelled, hoping that he could hear her, "It's us! Don't do this!" Yet, the beast didn't seem to even pause.

Zummi finally found a spell he hoped that at least would help. Quickly, he cried out the incantation at the top of his voice, hoping he said the words correctly.

All at once, Gruffi and Sunni were enclosed in a semi-transparent sphere as a brilliant white light shot up from beneath the dragon. The light enclosed the dragon, silencing its final screams. Everyone watched, holding their breath as the light began to fade. The dragon was gone and Gusto was standing in its place. Just as the light vanished, Gusto fell to the ground unconscious and the sphere disappeared around Gruffi and Sunni disappeared. Sunni ran over to check on Gusto while the other stood back in awe.

"Good job, Zummi," Grammi said, softly.

"Thanks," Zummi mumbled softly wondering if it was truly over.

*****************

In the days that followed, a certain amount of peace returned to the Glen. Gusto had regained most of his memories, although he still couldn't remember the day the city was destroyed nor what had happened when he returned, but everyone thought that it was probably for the best. The girl who appeared in the paintings had also been identified – it was Gusto's twin sister who was rightly named Augusta. (Which also explained why Artie assumed Gusto was yelling out his own name in his sleep.) Gusto mourned the loss of his family, but rejoiced that now he could at least remember them.

Cubbi and Sunni seemed to be most intrigued by the fact that Gusto was, or at least had been, a prince. Gusto insisted he was still the same Gummi, but did promise to remind Gruffi of his royal ancestry next time Gruffi complained about him skipping out on a job or task. Both of the younger Gummies found this amusing and said they wanted to be around when he did it.

The only one who was not at ease was Zummi. Although all the others congratulated him on restoring Gusto to his old self, but there was one thing that bothered him.

He hadn't done anything.

The spell he had cast had been a protection spell for Gruffi and Sunni: the sphere that had surrounded them briefly. He had been perfectly honest with Grammi when he had said he didn't know of any spell that could be used against a dragon much less a dragon that had been created by a curse. He had no idea what had caused the light that had stopped the dragon and saved Gusto. There was a chance that Gusto himself had stopped the dragon when he had heard Sunni's cry, but that was highly unlikely. It was also possible that the curse itself was not cast properly – but he didn't think that was the reason either. Yet, what could it be?

Zummi entered his library and immediately noticed something was out of place. The journal was lying on the table once more when he was fairly sure he had put it on the shelf the other day. Slowly, he walked over and picked up the old book, prepared to once more place it upon a shelf when something felt to the floor. He leaned down and picked up what appeared to be a page from the journal. Almost immediately, he recognized Elder's handwriting but a chill ran up his spine. It looked as if this page had been written recently. Taking a deep breath, he read what had been written by Elder's hand:

__

When the city had been destroyed, no one ever questioned what the sorcerer's motives might have been. It had just been assumed he was some nameless evil, but that is so rarely the case. Actually, he was the only son of the wealthy couple who was very good to him, but they were tragically killed when their carriage went over a steep cliff during a storm. I understand the sorcerer was a teenager at the time of their death, but still took their death very hard. He was already training to be a sorcerer at the time so he began to search for methods to bring his parents back to life. When he found no way to do this, he became angry and vengeful. He blamed the world for their death and sought vengeance against it. That is why he came to take the power of the Sunset Cave.

When Prince Augustus challenged him, he saw that the young Gummi was angry and thought that he too wanted vengeance upon the world. At this point, the sorcerer had gone quite mad and he saw many more similarities then there actually were. That is why he thought the 'curse' was a gift. He was giving Prince Augustus the power to take vengeance upon the world. Shortly after this, the sorcerer was killed in an uprising in a local village.

To take the young Prince's life would have only added to the tragedy – but trying to keep his own past from him was wrong. Yet, now the tragedy has finally ended. The curse is truly over. I searched for a way to save Augustus and I had finally found it and was able to use it. I am only happy that I was finally able to help him. Now, I may truly rest – I have all of eternity to do so.

Elder Gummi

The paper fell from Zummi's hand as he whirled around, catching a glimpse of an old Gummi Sorcerer – not unlike himself, leaving the room. Tears fell from Zummi's eyes as he looked at the open door. "Thank you," he whispered, hoping Elder could hear him. Somehow, he thought he could.

****

The End

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Thanks to all of you who have read my little story. I hope you enjoyed it.


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